I am absolutely thrilled to present this week’s BOW to you, our readers. I am a huge fan of the great Cabernets from Corison in California’s Napa Valley. Today we feature their ‘Kronos Vineyard’ Cabernet from 2003. This is a wine without a single flaw exuding flavor and character that mere words cannot adequately portray. While this wine is not inexpensive, it is a true and unique gem in its genre unlike many of its similarly priced contemporaries.

To some, at a surface glance, Cabernet Sauvignon may not appear to be an exciting or sexy choice. Cabernet has sadly become synonymous with red wine, albeit more exactly associated with quality red wine. I say “sadly” because once the name Cabernet became generic nomenclature, the wines themselves became rather homogenous. Far too often Cabernet is molded as an expression of power. Far too infrequent is Cabernet allowed to express its individual character. The Cabernets from Corison exude the qualities of this road less traveled. Corison’s Cabernets capture the essence and purity of the grapes and the soils from which they come. These wines are the unmistakable resulting efforts of a winemaker who truly loves Cabernet and wishes to exalt its virtues rather than assimilate its character in to a prescribed formula.

Cathy Corison is a Cabernet specialist. She has honed her evident skills through 30 years of winemaking in California. Cathy spent a decade as winemaker at Chappellet followed by Long Meadow Ranch and York Creek, as well as crafting Staglin’s first two vintages. In the Corison wines Cathy combines experience with talent and a much-appreciated point of view to create wines with balance, style, and grace. Corison Cabernet is ideal at the table while I often find that many Napa Cabernets trample upon even the most robust dishes. Corsion is a winemaker that clearly understands that a wine unsuited for the dinner table is a wine that has lost its way. Corison Cabernets are juicy and vibrant when young and mature gracefully for well more than a decade (if you can keep your hands off of it for that long).